title: Increasing girls' knowledge about human papillomavirus vaccination with a pre-test and a national leaflet: a quasi-experimental study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Adolescent girls are at an age to be involved in the decision about HPV vaccination uptake and therefore need adequate information about the vaccination. This study assesses to what extent reading an official information leaflet about HPV contributes to girls' knowledge levels, and to what extent an increase in knowledge is boosted by a pre-test measurement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (girls aged 11-14 years) were systematically allocated to group A that completed a pre-test measurement (12 true/false statements) or to group B that did not complete it. Subsequently, both groups read the HPV leaflet and completed the post-test measurement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 237/287 (83%). Pre-test scores in group A (M = 3.6, SD = 1.81, p < 0.001) were lower than post-test mean knowledge scores (0-10) in group B (M = 4.6, SD = 2.05). Post-test knowledge scores in group A were higher than those in group B [6.2 (SD = 2.06) versus 4.6 (SD = 2.05), p < 0.001]. In the post-test measurement, about a third of both groups knew that vaccinations do not give 100% protection against cervical cancer and that the duration of protection is unknown.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reading the information leaflet had a positive effect on knowledge, even more so when boosted by a pre-test measurement. However, knowledge on the degree and duration of protection against cervical cancer remained limited. Focusing girls' attention on important aspects before they start reading the leaflet (e.g. by including a quiz on the first page) may serve to raise their awareness of these aspects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC - University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. r.hofman@erasmusmc.nl.
authors.forename: Robine
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.forename: Puck A W H
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Schiffers
authors.forename: Jan Hendrik
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Richardus
authors.forename: Hein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Raat
authors.forename: Inge M C M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: de Kok
authors.forename: Marjolein
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Ballegooijen
authors.forename: Ida J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Korfage
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012572:School Health Services; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines